Thom Browne / Resort 2015

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If Thom Browne could have women get one thing this season, it’s his classic tailoring. Yes, every collection Browne does has more than a touch of tailoring, but this season’s is stronger, more serious. How? “It all comes down to structure,” he explains, defining the oft-yet-loosely-used fashion word in no uncertain terms: “Inside a jacket, seams are finished, and you can feel in the chest that there is a canvas that gives it structure. There’s corseting in a dress. It’s the idea of building clothes, as opposed to just sewing them together.” If that sounds complicated, it’s because it is.

But it isn’t necessarily enough to get women to perk up and pay attention, Browne knows, and so he’s matched this exquisite construction with exceptional fabrics and embellishments—a silk jacquarded so thickly it feels like scubawear; flower appliqués made of grosgrain ribbon; embroideries sewn coquettishly to one geo-tweed skirt suit. For all of the serious tailoring we were talking about, there’s just as much humor. The flowers? Inspired by the some-might-say tacky, artificial-looking Gerber daisies commonly found at the corner delis. “Sometimes, they actually look really good,” said Browne, pointing to a vase of them in his showroom that was, we admit, quite cheerful and pretty. “I got really into them.” Did all the delightful clashing of prints, the tights that made models’ legs look like they belonged in a mixed bouquet, and the intentionally mismatched shoes distract from that tailoring Thom wants us to see so badly? Now that we know precisely what to look for in the build of each piece, we’d say, No, not in the least.